Black History Month is a teachable moment, embrace the opportunity

Moxie is the perfect word to describe her, also spirited and with energy that could rival the average 20-year-old. I had read somewhere that she was 70ish, but I didn’t dare ask. Her smooth, golden complexion gave the impression that she was much younger. She was dressed impeccably, not a hair out of place, and her movements graceful. She called my name as if she had known me all my life. I basked in the familiarity.

Seated in the living room of Flonzie Brown Wright, my eyes filled with tears. Her stories had the ability to produce a range of emotions. I felt cleansed, hopeful and inspired by the end of my visit. The spiritual baptism I received was unexpected, but I thank God for her.

Rachel James-Terry(Photo: Special to The Clarion-Ledger)

In 1968, Wright was the first black woman to win the post of election commissioner in Madison County. It was a bittersweet victory for all the times she endured ridiculous literacy tests only to be repeatedly denied the right to vote. She was the same woman who helped the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. find overnight accommodations for 3,000 people in Canton - people who were marching for James Meredith, who had been shot during his “March Against Fear.” Wright’s mother cooked a soul-food dinner for King and several others. It was almost surreal talking to her. She had done so much for me without even knowing I existed.

As she shared her stories, I was embarrassed by my intermittent moments of shock. Although I can recall numerous incidents on a local and national scale that remind us racism is alive and well, the days of segregation, Jim Crow and the KKK seem like eons ago. But the survivors of those very dark and turbulent times are among us — breathing and remembering, never forgetting. And we shouldn’t either. Not too long ago, I believed Black History Month was a time for us to celebrate ourselves, our achievements and our overcoming. It still is.

However, I wake up black and go to sleep black. I commemorate my blackness every moment that I am alive. I have no choice. Why should I feel differently because of a month that stemmed from a week that grew from a day?

Black History Month should not only be for young people of all ethnic backgrounds who are uneducated in our history, but it should definitely be for those who are not black or African-American. This is the designated month for others to find out who we, black people, were before slavery, during slavery and after slavery. This should be the month that all others, who cannot relate to black people, understand black people or are unaware or misinformed about who we are, research, read and immerse themselves in our culture.

As a result, maybe some will see us as complex and diverse individuals and not monolithic, stereotypes or caricatures here to be oppressed, suppressed or stressed. Perhaps some will discover that we share similar goals, ideas and beliefs. Maybe one will also learn how we feel in an allegedly post-racial society. Now, I am not the voice of all black people. I am merely a piece of the whole — that is all.

So I thought maybe I could recommend some books and movies that I feel offer different perspectives of the black experience in America. Look, I am still growing and flowing as an African-American woman trying to navigate in, around and out of the clearly defined spaces that others have designated for me. My recommendations are only a starting point to the many resources available if one is sincerely interested in learning more about us. Happy Black History Month.